Now or Never
by XJenny9
Summary: Cloud knew it was now or never. He knew she couldn't wait forever and neither could he. He knew that he would never find such a beautiful, kind, sexy woman in his life. Ever again. And right now, it was now or never.


**Disclaimer:** FFVII belong to SquareEnix. I own none of these awesome characters.

**Author's note:** Yeah, yeah, I know. A one-shot. Woo hoo. But I actually really enjoyed writing this, so I guess it was worth it! Anyways, this is my first story EVER, so please, _try_ to be gentle.

He had denied her. And her. And him. Her being Aerith, and the other her being Yuffie. The him being, well... Barret.

He had heard a few light knocks on his door. When he opened it, there she was. Aerith. He'd admit it, she was _very _pretty. And kind. And perfect. But not perfect enough. She wasn't the one he'd been hoping would come knocking on his door tonight. It was a pleasant surprise, but not one he'd be willing to spend the rest of his night with. _Alone_. Next came Yuffie. Instead of a _few, light _knocks, there was pounding. Cloud had rushed to the door, worried something was wrong, but instead, there was Yuffie, standing there with a big, goofy smile on her face. She had wanted to go out, see the Gold Saucer at night, play some games, and most likely find the right time to steal his materia. But he had denied her, along with Aerith. And it was no surprise he denied Barret when he showed up, looking to discuss their next move. That is, against Sephiroth. But there was a reason he denied the beautiful flower girl, the sexy ninja, and the burly man.

There was a certain stunning brunette he wished to see tonight.

"Oh, it's you Cloud." Tifa said as she opened the door to her room. She looked surprised. He couldn't blame her.

"Yeah. Hey Tifa."

"Aerith told me she was going to your room. I assumed you two were going out tonight. I didn't expect you to show up here."

"Yeah..." Cloud scratched his head. He looked into her eyes for a brief moment, then looked away quickly.

"Well, not to be rude, but what are you doing here?" Cloud glanced up again to look at her. She looked tired, worn out, and almost a bit sad. But there it was again. That glowing smile she always had, no matter what. Every one was genuine, and when Cloud saw it, it warmed his whole body. He quickly looked down again, trying to avoid too much eye contact with those beautiful, wine-colored eyes.

"Uhh, I was wondering if you wanted to go... out. Tonight?" He looked up to see Tifa's mouth slightly agape. She closed it quickly, before looking away.

"I... She looked back to his mako-infused eyes. "I'd love to."

After what seemed like hours, the two arrived at the gondola. They had just come from a play in which Cloud was forced to play the _main role. _It sure wasn't Cloud's cup of tea... but it made Tifa laugh and smile, and those were two things he couldn't resist.

Cloud stepped onto the gondola and helped Tifa in. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked as she sat down. Looking beautiful was nothing new for her, but she looked especially dazzling tonight.

"Enjoy the sights of Gold Saucer." The woman running the ride closed the doors, and then there was just the two of them.

They sat silently for a few minutes, enjoying the sights and each others presence. Cloud pretended to watch the rollercoaster zoom past and the chocobos race by, but instead watched Tifa the entire time. He admired her beauty, taking in every feature on her face, every curve of her body. He knew almost any man she encountered had undressed her with his eyes at least once. Cloud was no exception. How could he resist? She was gorgeous, and not to mention the most caring, kind, woman he knew. But she was sexy, and _everyone_ knew it.

Tifa looked over at Cloud, only to see him glance away quickly. She had caught him looking at her on _many _occasions. Even during a battle, his "glances" were a bit to long to be considered just glances. It's not like he doesn't look at Aerith like that though. He does, just not with such passion and lust. Aerith was the delicate flower girl, while Tifa was the strong, not-so-delicate bar maid. How could Cloud ever love someone like that?

"It' a nice view, don't you think Tifa?" Cloud didn't move his head to look at her. It snapped Tifa back to reality when she heard his voice. She turned to look out the window.

"Yeah, it's beautiful." She nodded and looked at Cloud. He actually looked content, which was something Tifa rarely saw. She took a moment to look at him. Tifa had always thought Cloud was very handsome. His chiseled jaw, thin but toned body, and those glowing, blue eyes. Ever since the Nibelheim incident...

Tifa shook her head, trying to dismiss the awful memory.

"What's wrong?" Cloud turned to her, looking concerned.

"Huh? Oh... nothing. Sorry Clo-" But she was interrupted by the fireworks that had just started. They both turned to watch the colors explode in the sky.

As they watched, Cloud's mind swirled with thoughts. And emotions. Such emotions he didn't even know he had. He looked over at Tifa who was still admiring the show going on outside their window. Cloud knew it was now or never. He knew she couldn't wait forever and neither could he. He knew that he would never find such a beautiful, kind, sexy, woman in his life. Ever again. And right now... it was _now or never._

"Tifa..." She glanced over at Cloud and noticed he wasn't watching the show, but instead, watching her. With those eyes. Passionate, lustful, blue eyes.

"Y-Yes Cloud?" Tifa was a bit nervous. After all, this was the one man she had managed to love for so many years. But without being loved back. Tifa had wanted this for _years_. Wanted Cloud to look at her with those eyes, just like he was doing now. But whatever he was about to do, she knew there was no going back.

"Tifa I really... I..." Tifa could see the internal conflict he was having with himself brew on his face. He knew this was the moment, that if he didn't act now, he could forever lose the beautiful Tifa Lockhart. He would never, _could _never forgive himself if he did such a thing. But one word kept repeating it's ugly self over and over in Cloud's head. Rejection.

But didn't he know how much Tifa wanted this? How long she had waited for this very moment? No, he didn't, but right now, that wasn't going to stop him. Nothing was.

"Cloud...?" Tifa's confused eyes roamed his face, looking for answers. Nothing. But then... a solution? Relief? No, it couldn't be. Tifa never thought she'd see _relief _on Cloud Strife's face. But before she could even finish her thought, there he was, closer than ever. And everything felt so real.

"Tifa I..." He looked into her eyes, deeper than ever. "I love you. I always have. I always will." And that was enough for her. Before she even knew it, Cloud had grabbed her around the waist, and pressed his lips to hers. He wasn't about to let up anytime soon either.

Tifa knew this had to be a dream. _Had to._ But right now that didn't matter because his lips were pressed against hers, his tongue gently asking for permission to enter her mouth.

Cloud couldn't believe what was happening himself. He couldn't believe how soft Tifa's lips were and when he pulled her body closer to his, how perfect and warm her body felt against his.

Cloud broke the kiss to look at her, Tifa, the one woman he had always loved. He looked as if he wanted to say something, but as everyone knew, Cloud wasn't the best with words. All he wanted to do right now was kiss her senseless, but he knew she wanted to say something. After all, he had just fulfilled this woman's every dream and fantasy. She just sat there, cheeks pink and perfect, lips red and moist. Finally she spoke.

"Oh Cloud..." Tifa wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, smiling at him in that wonderful way she does. Cloud couldn't hold himself back any longer. He pulled her closer once again and kissed her passionately. He could hear her moan softly which only aroused him further. He broke the kiss and instantly peeled off her tight tank top. Even with her bra still on, she was a sight Cloud didn't want to miss. _Ever._ His eyes roamed her body before he pulled them away, up to her face. She looked embarrassed, which was one of the sexiest things Cloud had ever seen.

After staring at her alluring body for a while longer, he realized all of his clothes were still on. He quickly ripped off his own shirt before he felt himself being pulled in for another kiss. This time Tifa deepened the kiss and with her warm, bare body pressed against his, it was almost too much for Cloud to take. He could feel his pants getting tighter, pressing against Tifa's legs. His hands roamed her body and soon found the back of her bra. Tifa moaned loudly when she felt him put his hands on the clip, the last thing that kept the two from being pressed together completely naked. Cloud struggled with the clip, trying his hardest to get it undone, but with Tifa moaning and running her hands through his hair it was too hard to concentrate. They both could feel the gondola slowing down, but didn't want to stop what they were in the middle of.

Amidst their deep kiss, Cloud's hands fumbling around Tifa's back, the doors swung open, and there stood Aerith, mouth agape.

**Author's note:** That's it! Hope you enjoyed it even though it was a quickey. Maybe I'll turn it into something more...


End file.
